Date: Jun 29, 2015
Victoria BC – VicPD is happy to announce that for the fourth Canada Day in a row, non-emergency calls for service can be made on Twitter with the hash tag #VicPDHelps.
Over the past four years, this successful initiative has helped our community locate a missing 90-year-old man and saw the return of a lost 5-year-old boy to his family, both with crowd- sourced information. Officers are excited to be using Twitter again to engage the public throughout the Canada Day events.
The sharing of information and photos in real-time has been instrumental in helping VicPD deal with numerous calls for service including disturbances, open drinking, and drinking on busses, and we are counting on another successful year.
Officers are asking the public to tag tweets for officers’ information and action with the #VicPDHelps hashtag. This will allow officers to act on information in a timely manner. For those members of the public who choose to activate their Twitter geo-location function, VicPD would like to pass on its appreciation as this can greatly enhance our ability to respond on what is always a very busy Canada Day for the department. Other questions on Canada Day activities can be directed to @YYJCanadaDay
#VicPDHelps will be up and monitored on Canada Day only from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. Officers also want to remind the public to dial 911 for any emergencies. As you celebrate, please ensure you lock your cell phones as 911 ‘pocket dials’ can overburden our resources on this busy night.
VicPD will have a contingent of officers and Reserve Constables stationed throughout downtown and will be encouraging everyone to come enjoy the festivities responsibly.
“Canada Day is a day for our region, our province and our country to shine,” said Chief Constable Frank Elsner. “Our officers, and officers from around the region, will be in our vibrant downtown doing their part to ensure a fantastic, family-friendly celebration of Canada’s birthday.”